Spirit of Christmas
December 27, 2009
There was some doubt in our house as to whether we would put up a Christmas tree this year. Generally the decorations go up in early November, but this year the first week of December had come and gone, and our trees ( all 5 of them) were still stored in the garage. We just didn’t feel the Christmas spirit.
Well we unpacked the white Christmas tree that we bought six years ago. It was dingy from dust after three years of continous display in my wife’s office. Even the sparkly garlands had lost their sheen. And some of the decorations smelt musty from being in storage. Our green trees no longer fitted in with our colour scheme and overall we sensed something seemed to be missing.
So we decided to shop – and found a stunning purple tree that goes nicely with our silver and white decor. It changed the energy in our living room immediately. Next we looked at the lights. They didn’t accord with the new tree, so three sets of lights were retired and new strings were bought in their place. The room got a colour shift.
Then the snow fell. Thick fluffy flakes came drifting on the wind one night to cover the ground two inches deep. The air grew still, as if the land was settling into another rhythm – breathing more deeply.
For me, snow has always been Christmas: a herald of great change, a bringing of abundance. I become filled with a sense of great generosity. I embody Santa.
But this year I understood that the Spirit of Christmas itself is changing. It’s becoming more of a Spirit of Celebration, telling me that it should not be confined to a special day or a special purpose, but that we should feel celebration in every moment of our lives.
It’s a new era. I sense a liberation in how we celebrate life. The Spirit of Christmas has entered a new phase – each day a gift, each moment celebrating a new birth, each of us the bringer of great munificence – bringing joy and great abundance in all things through the living of celebration.
There is much that we need to make clear to ourselves. That we understand the nature of giving. That we understand that celebration is a commitment. That we understand what we are choosing in every moment. That we choose to honour something of great value in all of us. And perhaps we should remember that, as Santa, we always have a gift for everyone.